(3) 4-6 This summary of the Obamas' "historic journey" (concentrating on the presidential campaign, election, and inauguration) is beautifully designed, with numerous high-quality photographs. Supplemental information includes a family tree, sidebars on Obama's and John McCain's differing campaign positions, and a spread on how the New York Times election issue was created. Best for browsing, not reports; there's no index or bibliography.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Loren Long & Loren Long. Madonna credits an unnamed "nearly three hundred year old story" as the inspiration for her second picture book, about a boy who learns about the destructive power of gossip when a friend starts a rumor that the respected Little League coach is a thief. The story is preachy but somewhat redeemed by its fablelike structure, and while it has cutesy touches it doesn't go on for too long. The Thomas Hart Benton-style paintings give an appropriately folksy tone for the small-town setting.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) 4-6 Constructed of text excerpts and photos from the Times coverage, this is a beautifully (if not effectively) designed commemoration of the events and aftermath. With topical, picture-heavy double-page spreads on such aspects as "Escape from the Towers" and "Canine Helpers" arranged haphazardly, this has limited reference value, but the excellent photos and diagrams make it suitable for browsing. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Owen Smith. Three Jack tales ("Jack and the Northwest Wind," "Jack and the Bean Tree," "Jack and the Robbers") are here retold by a popular storyteller. The stories are flavorfully told and amusingly illustrated in a mock Thomas Hart Benton style, but the book design is too grandiose for the homespun fun it purports to contain. A CD of Hicks telling the stories is included.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dasha Ziborova. Crispin, a feisty feline with big ears, is tired of being taken for granted by his human family, so he imagines striking out on his own. But all of his ideas have a downside, and he decides that being a family cat is not so bad after all. Ziborova's quirky collages of the dissolute-looking cat are energetic and sophisticated but accessible, and Crispin's dry, sly narration has a lot of personality.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 The oversized card-stock pages of this book are filled with colorful collages featuring ghosts, witches, and zombies. Although kids may be drawn in by the spooky images, the style of the artwork seems geared toward adults. Similarly, the accompanying poems--some quite witty--will probably be most appreciated by older readers.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) PS "10 toads tune the turbo. / 9 night owls need some oil. / 8 elephants edge in together." Wacky cartoon animals prepare for the big race in this counting book. At "GO!" they careen madly around a track in a four-page foldout spread. Disappointingly, the end falls flat when a page turn reveals a child playing with toy cars ("And the winner is...YOU!"), but the vivid colors and comic effects of most of the illustrations are a winning combination.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Hilary Knight. Two books have been combined into one "flip-flop" volume, and Knight has hand-colored the original drawings with watercolor and pencil. Zolotow's girl and boy muse about the things their own children will be allowed to do (such as have new crayons even if the old ones are "still good and just not pointed anymore").

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz

(2) 4-6 A companion volume to Echoes of the Elders, this gathering of five additional tales telling of the origins of phenomena such as daylight and darkness or the creation of sentient life is as compelling in style and format as its predecessor. The words are mesmerizing; the artwork is stunning; the whole is dramatically beautiful. A CD of Lelooska telling the stories is included.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1999